In today’s digital environment, water utilities must compete with many voices and a lot of information that can influence how customers feel about their water quality and service. To help water sector professionals prepare for and manage these situations, American Water Works Association has released a new guide, Trending in an Instant: A Risk Communication Guide for Water Utilities. This guide provides insight on customer response, media-driven community fears, and utilizing targeted tools and action steps for effective high-profile communication response through social media. This guide draws on expertise from water utilities for water utilities by sharing field-tested tools to lessons learned and recommendations to become the trusted source for community.

This guide helps you:

• Understand today’s communication environment and the opportunities created by social media and risk communication.
• Build your standing in the community as a trusted information source;
• Respond effectively to community concerns that may stem from broadcast misinformation.
• Learn from other utilities that have experienced a negative media cycle and maintained and grown their reputation; and
• Access the best of recent utility-focused communication research.